After a four-day spectacle during which his bloody body was displayed, Former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi was buried in a secret location on Tuesday, according to officials of the country's interim government.
Suliman Fortia, the representative of the city of Misurata on the national governing council, said in a telephone interview with the Washington Post that Qaddafi's body was put in an unmarked grave "somewhere in the desert" at dawn. Libyan officials have said they wanted to prevent his tomb from being desecrated or turned into a pilgrimage site.
Meanwhile, Western officials and human rights groups are calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, Post reports:
Qaddafi's body, along with the bodies of his son Mutassim and former defense minister Abu Bakr Yunis Jabir, had been brought to Misurata by triumphant fighters from the city and placed in a frozen-food locker at a supermarket.
Thousands trooped by Qaddafi's decomposing corpse in recent days, staring in wonder and loathing at the remains of the man who had ruled them for 42 years.
Mutassim Qaddafi and Jabir were also buried in the desert Tuesday. News services reported that members of Qaddafi's tribe recited Islamic prayers over the bodies before they were buried.
Interim President Mustafa Abdel Jalil said Monday that he had requested an investigation of the circumstances surrounding Qaddafi's death. But he continued to insist that Qaddafi suffered a fatal shot to the head in an exchange of fire between his supporters and revolutionaries after he was captured. There has been no confirmation of such a firefight, however.
Read more at the Washington Post.
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